Evolve gets new 'life-or-death cage match' Arena mode today in free update

Turtle Rock Studios' competitive shooter Evolve is getting a new gameplay mode called Arena as part of a free update, the developer announced today. Arena will offer Evolve players a shorter gameplay experience that's "just about the fighting," Turtle Rock's Chris Ashton said during a livestream on Twitch.

Arena will do away with the hunting and trapping components of an Evolve match, turning the game into "a straight-up brawl," Ashton said. Four hunters and a monster — evolved to stage two and with 50 percent armor — will be dropped into a dome from the start of a round in a fight for survival. Once a hunter or monster goes down, they're out, a rule that makes matches much shorter: about six minutes at the most, Turtle Rock says.

The developer describes the new mode as a "life-or-death cage match" playable across 70 domes across Evolve's 14 multiplayer maps. More details on Arena mode are available at the game's official website.

Arena will be available for Evolve on all platforms today, May 26, as part of a free update.

Evolve was released on Feb. 10 for PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One. For more on the game, read Polygon's review.